Manchester Pals


The Manchester Pals were pals battalions of the British Army raised in 1914 during the Great War, formed as part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. They were formed into eight battalions of the Manchester Regiment.
  • 1st Manchester Pals became 16th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 2nd Manchester Pals became 17th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 3rd Manchester Pals became 18th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 4th Manchester Pals became 19th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 5th Manchester Pals became 20th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 6th Manchester Pals became 21st Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 7th Manchester Pals became 22nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment
  • 8th Manchester Pals became 23rd Battalion, Manchester Regiment
The 16th–19th Bns constituted 90th Brigade in 30th Division and the 20th–22nd Bns, together with the 24th, formed 91st Brigade in the same division. The 23rd Bn was a Bantam battalion in 104th Brigade of 35th Division.
In about September 1915 three local reserve battalions were formed from the depot companies of the eight battalions, with the role of training replacements for the service battalions; they joined 16th Brigade of the Training Reserve on 1 September 1916:
  • 25th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, became 69th Training Reserve Battalion
  • 26th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, became 70th Training Reserve Battalion
  • 27th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, became 71st Training Reserve Battalion
Almost 10,000 men enlisted in the Manchester Pals battalions, of whom 4,776 were killed. Overall, the Manchester Regiment lost about 13,000 men. In 1993, a memorial was unveiled in Heaton Park, where the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th battalions were trained between September 1914 and April 1915.

External sources

Category:Pals battalions
Category:Manchester Regiment
Category:Military units and formations in Manchester
Category:Military units and formations in Lancashire